The Houston Astros have had a busy offseason already. After hiring Joe Espada to be their new manager, the club announced the rest of his coaching staff for 2024. First base coach Omar Lopez has been named the bench coach with Dave Clark returning to Houston to be the first base coach. Lastly, Jason Bell will join the Major League staff as a quality assurance coach.
Lopez, 46, will enter his fifth season on the Astros staff, but his 26th in the organization. He served as the first base coach from 2020-2023 and filled it for Gary Pettis as the third base coach from September 2020 through 2021 while Pettis underwent treatment for multiple myeloma. Lopez was also the manager of Team Venezuela in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and was named Texas League Manager of the Year in 2016 for guiding the Corpus Christi Hooks to an 82-56 record and a spot in the postseason.
Clark, 61, will be the first base coach for the Astros in 2024. It will be his second stint in Houston as he was the third base coach from 2009-2012 and the first base coach in 2013. He was also the interim manager for the final 13 games of the 2009 season. Clark spent time with the Detroit Tigers from 2014-2020 and played 13 seasons in the MLB as an outfielder, including one season with Houston in 1998.
Bell, 33, will be the quality assurance coach for Houston in 2024, but it’s his eighth season with the organization as he was the minor league field coordination from 2019-2023. During that time, he oversaw minor league spring training and spent the 2023 season as the Assistant Director of Player Development. Bell managed Class A Short Season Tri-City to a New York-Penn League title in 2018.
Gary Pettis returns for his 10th season and is the longest-tenured member of the staff. Alex Cintron will also return for his eighth season, and Josh Miller and Troy Snitker will enter their sixth. Other coaches returning include Michael Collins, Bill Murphy, Jason Kanzler, and Tommy Kawamura.